In recent years, an increased demand in water, especially in areas having dense, rapidly growing populations has brought the subject of water management and conservation to the forefront. Indeed, in certain drier climates, water has become, and is now viewed as a very valuable resource. Consequently, efforts are being made to avoid the wasting of water, and in finding better ways to conserve it and promote using it wisely. One of areas where water conservation has seen some improvement, and can make further improvements still, is in the field of irrigation. Changes even as simple as a more effective managing, maintaining and repairing of irrigation-related products and systems can have a significant impact on water conserving efforts.
For example, having the right tool for the job at hand can mean the difference between a well-maintain irrigation product or system, versus unattended/broken products, products that are poorly or improperly adjusted, products having one or more minor or major leaks, and so forth. A number of manufacturers of irrigation-related products, or systems, or both, are making strides in improved water-conserving and water-efficient products, however, a problem has arisen due to the diversity of these products that pertains to the field of tools used in their installation, maintenance and repair. Namely, that there is little to no standardization in the way that one manufacturer's products and systems are installed, maintained and/or adjusted compared with those made by one or more competing manufacturers. Consequently, as will be described in more detail in the description to follow, simply not having the right tool can result in the unnecessary wasting of an often limited water supply.
As irrigation-related and water management related products and systems have evolved over recent years, many of these products have become specialized to address irrigation and water management in more efficient, environmentally-friendly and cost-saving ways. For example, one area in which a number of manufacturers in this field have directed their attention is in the design and making of a variety of increasingly water-efficient and highly adjustable sprinklers or sprinkler head nozzles, and controllers of the same. Many of these products have the advantage of much more precisely directing a desired spray arc (or width) and water volume radius (or distance or span) during one or more predetermined periods of time. Nonetheless, as these products multiplied and became particularized by their respective manufacturers, some, either in part or entirely, required the use of one or more product-specific tools. For example, a tool made by one manufacturer adjusts only the radius or distance that their sprinkler head sprays water, and another manufacturer's tool is only employable adjusting the arc or width of a spray pattern of their sprinkler(s), and so forth. However, professionals in the field often need to install, set up, adjust, maintain and/or repair a variety of these products (potentially also including respective controllers, valves, associated tubing or plumbing, and the like) produced by a number of competing manufactures. A sampling of such manufacturers includes, but is not limited to, Hunter Industries®, RainBird®, Toro®/Irritrol®, K-Rain® and Weathermatic®. Accordingly, the need for professionals to carry a variety of specialized company or product-specific tools with them has considerably increased.
Thus, those working in the field, installing, setting up, adjusting, maintaining and/or repairing such products, systems, or both, have found themselves (a.) often not having the right tool for a given task, (b.) unable to adjust or maintain a product or system correctly, (c.) needing to carry one or more, or an assortment of, additional specialized tools or (d.) facing undesirable or unwanted consequences. For example, in the latter case, such outcomes may include emergency or critical situations, resulting in an expense of unnecessarily wasted water, or costly water damage, simply due to not having the required tool. Such undesirable results can be avoided however, by instead, having on hand, a versatile multi-function tool, or multi-tool incorporating the same, that has been specifically designed to work with products and/or systems made by a number of competing manufacturers.
Some efforts have been made in the field in an attempt to produce tools that could perform more than one function or adjustment, but such tools have mostly remained company-specific or highly product-specific, as a consequence of not being designed or intended for, or being well-suited to, working with one or more competing manufacturer's products. For example Hunter Industries® has provided a small, lightweight orange-colored tool, designed specifically for making adjustments to an adjustment ring and to an adjustment screw of the MP Rotator® series of sprinkler head nozzles. However, because this tool is product-specific, it is suited for being used with products made by different, competing or various, manufacturers. Elaborating on a situation previously described, one company might provide a product-specific tool wherein one tool tip or tool portion is suitable for adjusting a particular sprinkler head model's, or water nozzle model's, spray distance, while another tool tip or portion of the same tool is suitable for adjusting that model's spray width, albeit with the shortcoming that the tool is entirely unusable (or not well-suited to use) with a similar product type made by one or more competing manufacturers. Accordingly, there is a need to address such shortcomings, and it is among the objects of the present invention to provide a handle-operated tool incorporating a multi-function tool tip on tool shaft or an elongated tool shaft, employable for different operations on various irrigation-related products, or to provide a multi-tool handle incorporating the present tool and multi-function tool tip.
Another problem in the irrigation-related and water-managements fields is that is not uncommon for professionals to find themselves in cramped quarters or openings, or in places where it is not conducive to carrying of a number of tools, or the moving about of a large or cumbersome toolbox. For example, one can be working in a relatively small recessed area where it is difficult or very inconvenient to have to quickly set down one or more tools and rapidly pick up one or more other urgently needed tools. These, and other, environments can present additional challenges, for example when there is a significant water leak, or body of standing murky or running water where attempting to quickly set down and use multiple, separate tools can created added stress, or even exacerbate a critical situation when a needed tool cannot be found. Consequently it would be advantageous to provide an easy to carry a multi-function tool solely, or one incorporated into a multi-tool, wherein either is equipped to work with a number of competing manufacturer's products, associated products and/or systems, and it is among the objects of the present invention to provide such improved solutions.
Another area where portability and ease-of-use are important to professionals in the field is in the management and maintenance of medium to large-scale or large-acreage, private or public properties, for example, parks, campuses, golf courses, cemeteries, estates, and the like. In such environments any number of needs can quickly or spontaneously arise where having a compact multi-function tool, or multi-function/multi-tool, equipped to work with products or systems made by various competing companies can provide an ideal solution to one working in the field, for example, when one is some distance from a service truck or vehicle, tool shop, workshop or toolbox. To effectively address such needs, it is among the objects of the present invention to provide such compact, portable and easy-to-use multi-function tools and multi-function/multi-tools that are readily employable on competing products and systems.
A simplifying of installation and maintenance requirements can also be conducive to an increase in the sales of irrigation-related products and systems by various manufacturers. For example, when contractors, gardeners, handymen, or homeowners experience firsthand that many common irrigation-related and water management related tasks can be handled by a single compact, portable and easy-to-use multi-function tool or multi-function/multi-tool, operational complexities, as well as one's learning curve, are reduced. There is a saying, that “People enjoy doing what they're good at.” This saying suggests that the simpler something is to do, learn, or gain confidence in, the more likely one is to enjoy it. Accordingly, a part-time, weekend or intermittent user of irrigation-related products or systems is likely to gain a greater sense of confidence in what he or she is installing, maintaining or servicing when, instead of having to learn and work with multiple product-specific, specialized tools, they can use a single easy-to-use tool compatible with a variety of water distribution devices, sprinklers, irrigation-related products and systems, and the like. These ease-of-use and cross-compatible aspects of the multi-function tools, and multi-function/multi-tools described herein, thereby empower users to use one or more brands of irrigation-related products and systems that they purchase, install and maintain. In discovering that such products and systems are easy to maintain, and in gaining some increased confidence along the way, users are more likely to purchase and use additional or related products; to increase the awareness of others through valuable word-of-mouth recommendations; all of which is helpful to various manufacturers (such as any one or more among those mentioned above) by increasing the sales of their irrigation-related products and systems.
Another factor influencing the decisions of potential customers of irrigation-related products, systems and tools is the impact that any of the same might have on the environment. Some tools, such as those previously described that are intended for use with a company-specific product or product-line, may be made of a combination of plastic and metal material but not made to be subsequently separated in a way that is ideal for recycling, or may be viewed as an inexpensive product meant to be (or that simply can be) disposed of after being used minimally. In contrast, multi-function tools of the present invention may optionally be made of metal and plastic parts and made pre-disposed with break-away or separable parts to facilitate easy recycling. With respect to the status quo small, mostly plastic tools, another problem is that they can also be easily lost due to their having a small size and weight (e.g., if it falls out of a pocket one might not even be aware that it is missing).
Another shortcoming of such small tools is that some are made with one or more tool ends that do not have a self-centering alignment means to assist in aligning an operative end of the tool within a very small screw head, socket, port, opening or odd-shaped aperture. Consequently, such tool ends may not align easily or properly, and certain users may feel it is a necessity to carry glasses or other magnification means with them in order to use such tools. Additionally, certain sprinkler head nozzles may be equipped with an adjustable screw that is very small (such as the MP Rotator® series) making it likely that one will not have on hand a small enough standard screwdriver to engage and make quick and accurate adjustments to one, or many, of such sprinkler heads. To address this problem a blade (e.g., 18) of the multi-function tool-tip 22 of the present invention is designed to optimally, quickly and accurately be used in the field to make easy adjustments to one or many of such small adjustable screws, in a manner requiring little or no visual aligning by a user. It is also noted that Hunter Industries' MP Rotator® products have been designed to match optimum precipitation-rates required by given soil types, and when properly adjusted, provide no more than a needed supply of water for a given environment. Accordingly, the MP Rotator® can be very efficient in conserving water, if properly adjusted and maintained. The multi-function tool-tip of the present invention is designed to facilitate the making of fine and optimal adjustments to the MP Rotator® series of sprinkler head nozzles and to other irrigation-related products as well.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, a tool incorporating a multi-function tool tip on a tool shaft or an elongated tool shaft, employable for different operations on various irrigation-related products, or multi-tool handle incorporating the same, are each made of a durable, non-rusting metal material, for example, stainless tool steel, wherein each of the tool embodiments are designed to be employable with the products and/or systems sold by competing manufacturers, and provide a multi-function tool-tip having one or more self-centering alignment means requiring little or no visual alignment by a user. Accordingly, the present invention provides a substantial (e.g., having enough weight and size to be easily managed and located), versatile multi-function tool having a durable and sturdy design which, following a long life-cycle, is also readily recyclable.